Tivesran Revolutionary War
The Tivesran Revolutionary War, or the Tivesran Revolution, was a period of violent and radical upheaval in Tivesra that began with the execution of King Philippe VII Maigneron and ended with the Fall of the Aristidists, with the execution of Aristide Gervaise occuring at the hands of Maximilien Avolaire and the people of Tives. Background The causes of the Tivesran Revolution can be traced back almost five decades, to the brothers Perrin and Mathias Sabourin, who preached the benefits and freedoms of a free Republic. For nearly a decade, they preached, often-times finding themselves arrested for their troubles. Finally, in 2-751, Mathias was assassinated in his home. Perrin suffered a similar fate a few weeks after him. To the followers of their ideals of liberty, equality, and brotherhood, they served as martyrs for their cause. Over the decades following their deaths, the movement of intellectuals (collectively called Sabourinists at the time) grew steadily. However, the most important factors leading to the fall of the Old Kingdom were the increasingly tyrannical aristocracy, the massive tax burden placed on the lower class (to pay for the Old Kingdom's wars with the southern Sultans), the growing animosity between the middle class and the nobility, and the famine that plagued the Old Kingdom in 2-777. By 786, there was major rioting in the streets of Tives. In Autumn of that year, the Royal Treasury was vandalized and looted. The Crown's inability to pay its troops caused widespread desertion, and forced the King to shrink his army. In winter of that year, an armed uprising in the capital led by radical Aristide Gervaise and militia colonel Émile Maheu stormed and plundered the Citadel. Rioters and militiamen under their command stormed, looted, and nearly destroyed the Royal Palace. The Royal family was quickly brought before Aristide, who sentenced them to execution. With the decapitation of the King (and the Royal government), any semblence of order quickly left the lands of the Old Kingdom. The Early War The capital was quickly approached by the Thirteenth Army, which was under the command of the young General Maximilien Avolaire. As the revolutionaries inside manned the barricades and prepared to fight the Royalist army, Avolaire sent a messenger requesting that the rebel leader(s) meet with him. Aristide Gervaise, who had taken on a position of high leadership amongst the rebels, was the one who answered his call. Outside the city, General Avolaire was informed of the Royal family's death and the sacking of the city. Knowing that his King was dead, along with any sense of stability, Avolaire decided to join the Revolutionaries rather than combat them. His army, loyal to their general, followed him down this path. This important move granted the fledgling Republic much-needed soldiers and cannons. It is widely-believed that without Avolaire's support, the revolution in Tivesra would have died rapidly. Aristide allowed Avolaire to retain command of his army (likely knowing that Avolaire would not give up command if asked) and gave Avolaire full command over the war strategy, authorizing him to engage in acts of diplomacy if necessary to the war effort. Avolaire, seeing that he was surrounded by rapidly approaching Loyalist armies, decided to travel south. He would assault the 17th army in the town of Vachon before it could group with the 10th army from Dalindie. The strategy worked, with the 17th army being completely routed shortly before the 10th arrived. It too was quickly routed. The engagement would later be known as the Battle of Vachon, and is remarkable for being the first real action of the Tivesran Revolutionary War. thumb|400px|Layout of forces at the beginning of the Revolution. With the Republic's southern border secure, he immediately marched his army north at breakneck speed, aiming to intercept the 6th Army (under General Charles Mercier) before it could attack Tives. He once again succeeded in his goal, meeting his adversary in a suburb called Lemelin roughly ten miles from the capital. The Battle of Lemelin ended in victory for the Revolutionaries, securing the capital against any further Loyalist advances. The March on Rhein With the Revolution's heart secure, Avolaire turned his attention to the east. The 14th and 16th armies had merged together during his previous operations, coming under the command of General Lazare Girardin. Rather than advance towards Tives, they had gone east from Postille, intending to attack the new revolutionary government of Rhein. Avolaire, seeking to take advantage of this and knock out two enemies with one swipe, immediately began an eastward march, sending small detachments north to liberate Calleys and Venden. During this time, he was under orders from Aristide to secure the entire Heartland Valley for the Republic. He liberated Postille, then quickly moved on, quickly crossing the border of the newly-proclaimed Rheinlander state. Arriving as the Loyalist army was finally fended off (at great cost to Rhein), Avolaire swiflty defeated the exhausted and fatigued Rheinlanders. However, with this success, several more problems loomed before him. One was the growing insanity of Aristide, and the tyranny of his regime at home. News reached Avolaire of constant executions, with the people of the capital living in a state of constant terror. Victims of this execution spree include such famous men as Émile Maheu, commander of the Tives Militia, and Charles Lochet, statesman and brother-in-law to General Avolaire. While Avolaire wished to return to the capital as swiftly as possible, he swiftly found a new enemy that immediately required his attention. The Wesserian Campaign As Maximilien had liberated Postille, he had heard reports that the Wesserian Federation had seized Venden. Under strict orders from Aristide to secure the valley, Maximilien began engaging in diplomacy with the Wesserians, requesting that they pull out of Venden. With both of his requests rejected, along with the "request" of Aristide, Avolaire resolved to take the city by force after the March on Rhein. Sending letters to the King of Wrin, he arranged for a joint-assault upon the Wesserian Federation, where Wrin would seize Lucern and the Wesserian capital while Avolaire's forces would capture Berna and Venden. In Autumn, Avolaire crossed the mountains between Rhein and Berna, falling upon the city with a large portion of his army. Meanwhile, Revolutionary generals Auguste Villard and Baudouin Saillant commanded the 2nd Revolutionary Army in an assault on Venden. The two cities swiftly fell to him. Meanwhile, the Wrinnish Army swiflty crushed the Wesserian forces, capturing the Wesserian heartland. With the Wesserians defeated, Avolaire hands were free to finally deal with Aristide and his supporters. The End of the Aristidists As Avolaire prepared to leave Berna for the capital without his army, a short conversation was had with his aide-de-camp. Three sentences can easily sum up Avolaire's opinion of Aristide's grasp of power. Avolaire: "I must return to Tives. The reports I am receiving from the capital are sickening." Aide-de-camp: "But general, you would need your army to restore order there, wouldn't you?" Avolaire: "I have an army there." Traveling alone to save time, Avolaire made his way by horseback to the capital. As he traveled, Horace Paladeau, a prominent political leader of the revolution and opponent of Aristide, attempted to incite a riot against the President. With growing popular levels of tyranny and oppression under Aristide's regime, along with Aristide's own popularity due to his constant public executions, it was quite easy for Paladeau to do so. However, due to Paladeau's own ineptitude at handling forces, as well as the lack of support from the militia, the riot was swiftly crushed. Avolaire arrived in early winter to find a line of armed militiamen awaiting him with their guns raised. Jean-Alexis Machard, the new commanding officer of the Tives militia, ordered Avolaire's surrender. Avolaire responded raising his arms, and saying, "Soldiers of the Tivesran militia, I, General Avolaire, do come before you not out of any treasonous intent. I come before you intending to free you and your families all from tyranny, madness, and constant terror. I come before you to make certain that men like Émile Maheu will never again be killed for upholding what is right. So I say now, any man amongst you who would shoot their general and their liberator, fire now!" The response of the militia was rapid and uninamous: the embraced Avolaire, cheering him on and following him as he entered the city. As he walked through the streets, support for him grew. By the time he reached the Citadel, most of the city was behind him. A short exchange between Aristide, who was situated above the Citadel gate, and Maximilien, occured: Avolaire: "Followers of Aristide, open the gates and lay down your arms. You currently harbor a more vile madman than the old king ever was!" Aristide: "Avolaire!? Is that you down there? Do you know the purpose of this Citadel? It was initially built to WITHSTAND riots such as yours." Avolaire:"Only if the riot is outside, Aristide." The gates were opened, apparently by the militiaman stationed in the gatehouse, and Avolaire's supporters stormed the Citadel. The people inside surrendered swiftly, with Aristide being brought out, judged by the people, and executed (in a bit of irony) by the guillotine. Following Aristide's death and the fall of the Aristidists, the Reign of Terror and the Tivesran Revolutionary War both ended conclusively. Maximilien Avolaire, along with Horace Paladeau and numerous others, constructed a government that would be known as the Consulate, with Maximilien Avolaire serving as First Consul of the Tivesran Republic. Category:Wars Category:CS2 Category:Tivesra